Beauty, Intellect and Courage
by Always Under Estimated
Summary: The summer after PoA, Harry finally decides that he has had enough. Join our resident hero in his quest to forge a destiny for himself, with the help of friends, family and lovers. Harry/Fleur/Hermione. Snape and Ron bashing. Manipulative Dumbledore.
1. Chapter 1: Revelations

Welcome, readers, to my first ever Harry potter fanfic. AU post PoA, it is a Harry/Fleur/Hermione fan fiction, in which there will be some bashing, some OCs and a lot of twist and non-canon plots. Enjoy, and review! Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the original characters or plots. Chapter 1 Revelations.

Harry sighed as he laid down on his bed in Ron's room._ "You could hear his snoring even a couple of miles away",_ Harry mused, before turning his mind to other matters. The Weasleys had arrived that morning at Private Drive via floo to pick him up. Would've been simple, had the Dursleys not had an electrical fire. In his dilemma, ended up bombarding the chimney, spraying bricks and cement everywhere inside the decorated drawing room. Harry sincerely thought Vernon could've burst from rage at that incident. If that hadn't been enough, the Weasley twins had _accidentally _dropped a Ton-Tongue Toffee near Dudley before flooing to the Burrow. The baby whale in his greediness ate the sweet, learning the hard way not to accept any edibles from the vicious pranksters. Although had fixed ickle Duddykins' tongue, the latter had sure learnt a lesson. Upon arriving at the Burrow, Harry had been welcomed with a Molly Weasley bone-crusher, before the woman started fussing over his long hair and oversized rags. Though he had acquired replacements for his wardrobe earlier, he hadn't put on new clothes yet. However, he placated Mrs. Weasley by telling her that he had bought new clothes. A couple of days ago, the Dursleys had gone to attend a lunch party at one of their associates'. Taking advantage of the rare opportunity, Harry had taken the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley in order to make some well overdue purchases. His first stop had been Gringotts, where he had been confronted by an angry Griphook. It had turned out to be quite the startling conversation.

****************************************************************************FLASHBACK

_Harry had just entered the lobby of the bank, when his hearing was accosted by a voice filled with contempt. _

"_Ah! If it isn't the great Harry Potter. Nice to see you've finally taken some time out of your oh-so-large schedule of adventures to grace us with your presence."_ _Griphook sneered._

_Harry frowned."I beg your pardon, Griphook, but I'm at a loss of what you are referring to. Was I expected to visit the bank earlier or something?"_

_Griphook scowled."I believe that much was obvious for even the biggest dunces from the letters we sent to you repeatedly."_

"_Letters? What letters are you talking about, Griphook? I am willing to swear on my magic that I have not ever received any correspondence from you or anyone at Gringotts." Harry replied._

_Griphook looked confused."You say you've never received any letters or bank statements from us; and you are also willing to swear it on your magic?" Upon Harry's confirmation, he said."So be it. Follow me to the Overseer's office; where your oath shall be taken. Beware that should your oath prove to be false, you will not only loose your magic, but also all of your holdings inside Gringotts. Not that you can back out now."_

_Harry followed Griphook down a long maze of corners, turns and corridors until they arrived at a set of marble doors labeled as "Overseer Goldfang". Entering the door, he came face to face with a large goblin whose office walls were graced with a multitude of battleaxes._

"_Overseer Goldfang, this is Harry Potter. He claims to never have received any correspondence from us, and is willing to swear it on his magic." Griphook said._

_Goldfang looked at Harry in surprise."Is this true, Mr. Potter?" He asked._

_Harry replied."Yes it is, to the best of my knowledge."_

"_Very well. You are allowed to use your wand to give an oath repeating your claim, and then cast a non-lethal spell." Goldfang said. _

_Harry raised his wand."I, Harry James Potter, do hereby swear on my magic that I have not received any correspondence from Gringotts ever since I learnt of the magical world to the best of my knowledge. So I swear, so mote it be." A flash of light temporarily blinded them. Then Harry focused on his happiest memories and said:"EXPECTO PATRONUM". A dense cloud of mist erupted from his wand before separating into two. One of them condensed into Prongs, while the other solidified into a dragon. Harry looked at them in shock._

"_How the hell do I have two patroni?" He asked._

_Goldfang said."Mr. Potter, do you know how rare it is for a person to master the patronus charm at such a young age? And as for your question, we have not known any one to have two patroni since Godric Gryffindor." _

_On Harry's confused look, Griphook said:"What the Overseer meant to say, is that you are one of the most powerful wizards in existence. Congratulations."_

_Harry looked baffled."Great! Another thing out of the ordinary. Why can't I just be normal?" He said bitterly._

"_Because you are Harry Potter. You, young wizard, are one of the few people selected by the powers that be for a great purpose. You should try to embrace your destiny instead of running away from it." Goldfang suggested."Now if you don't mind, let us proceed to business. The letters we sent you, concerned your heirship of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. As you are by default Lord Potter since your 11__th__ birthday, you are required to make at least one visit to Gringotts per annum to stay abreast of the latest developments concerning your finances. Failing to do so, results in a deduction of a 5% of your holdings per year-unless we are supplied with a genuine excuse that we deem satisfactory. We have been deducting said fine from your vaults for the past three years. Said amount will now be refunded to your vaults. In addition, we will also be investigating the matter of you not receiving our letters. Due to the possibility of a mail-redirecting ward, we will start using wardpicks on owls that we send to you. I am the overseer of the Potter and Black account, while Griphook has recently been promoted to Potter Account Manager. As of yet, your Gringotts holdings include the Potter Family Vault, and your mother's personal vault. In addition, your godfather has recently opened a trust fund-tied to the Black Family Vault- for your use; since he cannot come to Gringotts on a regular basis due to his status as a convict. Even though he has given you unrestricted access to the Black Family Vault, he said you might feel uneasy using it; hence the trust fund. This trust fund contains 1.5 billion galleons, which is its set limit. Every year, at 1__st__ January, the vault will be refilled to this limit by compensating money from the Black Family Vault. The Potter Family Vault contains 10 billion galleons in liquid, while your properties collectively are worth around 300 billion galleons. Your vault also contains jewelry and other valuables- a third of which have been evaluated at 20 billion galleons. The rest of these items are unpricable, as releasing them on the market would devalue the wizarding economy. Your mother's personal vault was established for the deposition of her salary from her job in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. Her monthly salary was 2500 galleons which, due to her death in the last war, is still being deposited in her account as part of the War Casualty Scheme. It will continue till your 17__th__ birthday or your emancipation- whichever comes first. As for your business, you own 30% share in the Nimbus Company, 20% share in Quality Quidditch Supplies, 10% share in every restaurant and café in Diagon Alley, and 10% share in the Three Broomsticks. After their marriage, your mother convinced your father to invest in prominent muggle businesses, resulting in a significant increase in their income. Thus, you own 20% share in Apple Inc., 20% share in Harrods, 30% share in Dell Inc., and 15% share in every prominent dining establishment and clothes store in Central London. You also own vast stretches of farmlands and vineyards across the globe, where the peasantry works the land for a 30% share in anything they grow. In addition, you are also the sole owner of the "Reaper's Garden", a prominent vintage brand renowned for its superior taste and quality across the continent. It has the most demand in France and Germany, while other magical and muggle governments also make use of it for their special guests and dignitaries. It makes half a million galleons per year on average. In summation, your annual income is about 5 million galleons. Do you have any specific questions or demands about the way your business is handled?"_

_Harry shook his head."No, Goldfang. Please continue handling the business as before. I would like to visit my family vault to make a withdrawal; and if possible, convert some of it into pond sterling."_

"_Do you wish to visit the vault just for the withdrawal?" Griphook asked._

_Harry nodded._

_Goldfang took over."There is a more convenient method for withdrawing your money. We have developed a coin-bag that can be tied to your vaults. Whenever you need money, you will just have to think of the specific vault and the amount you want; and it will appear in the bag. It will be keyed to your blood and magic, and thus will not be able to be used by anyone else even through the use of polyjuice. For use in the muggle world, we have a wallet that works on the same principles for muggle currency. It also has a space-expanded pocket for storing the coin-bag. For a large sum of muggle currency that would be, from muggle point of view, impossible to draw out in cash from your wallet, we have a debit card that also works on the aforementioned principles. If you are interested, we can provide you these items for a total of 25 galleons. _

_Harry replied:"That would be quite helpful, Goldfang. Please do so. I may also wish to get such items keyed to my vaults for my friends in the future."_

"_Very well." Goldfang said. He took out a bag, a wallet and a plastic card; then instructed Harry to cut his finger and drop a little of his blood on each item. Upon completion of the ritual, the bag and wallet got engraved in calligraphy of his name. The debit card was all blank except for the words "Gringotts" in its corners, his name in the middle, and a silver band at the backside. The words "unlimited validity" were written under his name._

"_What is the current conversion rate from galleons to pound sterling?" Harry asked._

"_The current rate is a galleon to 30 pounds." Goldfang replied._

_Harry rose, bid his goodbyes and exited the bank. According to the clock in the lobby, it had been 2 hours since Harry had left Private Drive. He hurried out of the alley and into muggle London. Hailing a cab, he went to the nearest shopping mall. There, he bought himself a dozen shirts, six denim jeans, three Levi's jeans, four leather jackets, three pairs of trainers, two pairs of long boots, a stylish watch and a few other items before going to a secluded area and calling the Knight Bus. He arrived at Private Drive ahead of the Dursleys. Going upstairs, he went into his room and placed his shopping bags in his trunk, discarding all of Dudley's castoffs barring the smallest couple of shirts and jeans._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Breaking out of his thoughts, Harry pulled of Dudley's old shirt before tossing it aside. It would be the last time he ever wore those rags, he swore to himself before pulling up the covers and falling asleep. Well, there you go. Since I've already written 25 chapters, I'll be posting them rapidly-which will be whenever I can manage. I study in University, so I already have quite a bit on my plate. In addition, I'll also be posting another of my works; which I have already completed. Please share your views with me. _AlwaysUnderEstimated._


	2. Chapter 2: The World Cup

Hello again. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have taken the time to favorite, follow, read and/or review up till now on my 1st chapter. I seriously wasn't expecting so many people to read it. Thanks a lot, guys. As a guest reviewer pointed out, Dell Inc. didn't start until 1984, while Harry's parents were killed in '81. I can only say that its fanfiction, so I was hoping to pull this off. That's why I didn't do any research about any of the companies etc. Additionally, I'm a Pakistani, and have never travelled abroad. That's why my information might not always be as good as a native of those places. Feel free to point those mistakes out. Thank you. And DonnieDonncha, as for the point you raised; you happen to be correct. However, I must point out that Harry is still the same blindly trusting and naïve teen as depicted in the cannon version- at least till this chapter. He doesn't have any reason to not trust anyone yet. Additionally, he said he _may_ do it; not that he _will. _It will get clear in the next few chapters_._ Anyway, thanks for taking the time to point it out.Chapter 2The World Cup.

Harry's alarm clock rang at 4AM. He immediately got up, relieved himself, washed his face and brushed his teeth before starting his daily Quidditch workout routine of pushups, sit ups and crunches. After cooling down, he took a bath and changed into a black Armani shirt and blue denim jeans. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he concluded that the black shirt brought out his eyes quite nicely. The shirts he bought were all form fitting, which showed off his lightly toned muscles. His hair had also grown almost to his shoulders. It wasn't as long as Bill's or Charlie's, but it definitely was an improvement- if Ginny's frequent glances towards him were any indication. Harry smirked, anticipating her reaction to his new clothing. Clearly amused at his narcissc thoughts, he tried to wake Ron up. Much to his astonishment, the legendary heavy sleeper sprang out of his bed at the first sound of "world cup". Leaving his best friend to get ready, Harry picked up his satchel and went downstairs. The twins and Ginny were sitting in the lounge; the latter's eyes boggling at the sight of him. Smirking, Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Ginny blushed furiously, barely managing a smile before running out of the room; making the boys chuckle. Turning to the twins, Harry plopped down in a chair next to them.

"Good morning, gentlemen." Harry said in an impressive drawl that would put even Malfoy to shame. "Could I have a moment of your precious prankster time please?"

"Why Mr. Harrykins, what would the ickle Boy Who Lived and Gryffindor's Golden Boy ever want from us lowly pranksters?" The twins said in perfect sync.

"Just wanted to discuss some business matters with you; relating to our mutual inheritance." Harry said. "Pranking."

"Pranking? Are you-"

"-actually stepping into the-"

"-honorable profession of pranking?"

"Do we have to-"

"-up our game?" The twins said alternating between each other.

Harry shook his head to clear the dizzying feeling." I come in peace, O brothers-in-pranking. I, however, have a business proposal for you that would bring you to stand at par with the Marauders."

The twins shared a look, then Fred grabbed a quill and George fetched a piece of parchment."What do you propose, our fine honorary Weasley?"

"The reason you lag behind the Marauders is two-fold. One: you don't have access to professional advice. Two: you don't possess the requisite funds for the more exquisite pranks." Harry said in a professional manner. "I propose that I provide you with the funds; and access to the pranking expertise of Messers Padfoot and Moony- for the right price of course."

The twins went slack-jawed."You know the Marauders? How?"

"It would suffice to say that Prongs was my father, Padfoot is my godfather, Moony is my honorary uncle and Wormtail is a rat." Harry replied.

The twins asked. "And how much funding can you provide us?"

"Starting with 5000 galleons on a two year contract, that is renewable after every two years. If this experiment bears fruit, I might step up the investment to 10000 galleons. We could also think of a place to open a joke shop once you graduate."

"Won't that much money bankrupt you?" George asked.

"The initial funding is only a fraction of my income, my friends." Harry said. "My family owns many businesses- either wholly or partly; but we do not yet exist in the profession of pranking. A mistake I intend to rectify."

The twins looked contemplative. "What do you want in exchange?"

"A 50-50 partnership. You two would get a half of the profit, while the rest will be shared between me, Padfoot and Moony. And their help will be covered under this 50% too, so you don't have to worry about paying them for it." Harry replied. "Take your time, gentlemen. Meanwhile, I will tend to other matters."

Saying this, he got up and went towards the kitchen. However, Hermione entered the Burrow at that very moment. Seeing Harry, she dropped her luggage and engulfed her best friend in a tight hug.

"Harry! It's so nice to see you again. How are you? I really hope the Dursleys didn't bother you too much this summer."

Harry returned the hug before winking. "Never knew you missed me so much, 'Mione. It's been a while since I've seen you out of school robes. You're looking quite good." He said. "And no, the Dursley's weren't much of a bother this time."

Hermione blushed, before narrowing her eyes. "Who are you and what have you done with Harry Potter? And by the way, I like your new hairstyle."

Harry laughed and pried Hermione off. "I was going to make breakfast. Care to join me?"

"Harry! Mum will be getting up any moment now to make breakfast. You don't have to do this." The twins said indignantly.

"Relax guys; I'm doing this of my own volition. Your mum is a great cook; no offence, but I want to do this." Harry said before venturing into the kitchen. A few moments later, Hermione also joined him, and kept alternating between helping him and playing with his hair. Harry was quite amused, but didn't stop her.

The aroma of food quickly roused everyone. Molly came barging into the kitchen, looking aghast. "What are you doing Harry? Hermione?" She asked. "I was just coming down to prepare breakfast. Do you not like my cooking, or is something else the matter?"

Harry smiled. "No need to fret, . You are the best cook I know. You people are like my family, and I wanted to do something special for you guys. Anyway, breakfast's ready. If you feel like it, you can help me and my deputy chef in setting up the table."

Hermione playfully swatted his arm before picking up a tray of food and transferring its contents onto the table, where all the Weasleys were sitting. " , could you scan Harry's hair for compulsion charms?" She asked.

looked at her in confusion, mimicking the expressions of everyone else at the table. "Why?"

"Well, it's just that every time I look at his hair, "Hermione said before grabbing a lock of Harry's hair and twirling it between her fingers."I feel a sudden urge to play with it."

George smirked. "Well Harry, it appears that we boys aren't the only ones who consider your new hairstyle an improvement.

After breakfast, Harry, Hermione, the twins, Ron and Ginny accompanied to a nearby hill. explained that they would be travelling to the World Cup Stadium via portkey; while Bill, Charlie and Percy would apparate to the woods near the stadium later. Molly, never having been an avid fan of Quidditch, had opted to stay at home. On the top of the hill, they came face to face with the Hufflepuff seeker Cedric Diggory, the only player to have ever defeated Harry in a Quidditch match- courtesy of the dementors of course. The twins and Ron glared at him, while Hermione and Ginny blushed at the sight of the handsome teenager, and shifted closer to Harry. Cedric, on the other hand, greeted Harry good-naturedly and introduced him to his father; a Ministry worker named Amos. Then they all gathered around the old shoe that was to serve as their mode of transportation. At the designated time, the portkey glowed. They all hastily touched the portkey as it started to spin. Harry felt a tug behind his navel; and the next moment he found himself sprawled across the ground in an unfamiliar place.

"_Great! This is just like floo."_ Harry thought bitterly, helping himself off the ground. "_At least I'm not covered in soot this time."_

They all marched up to the gate of the stadium, where a muggle stood guard. After confirming their reservations and paying the dues, they went into their designated slot in the campsite. pitched up a space-expanded tent, which contained five bedrooms, and a living cum dining room equipped with a kitchenette. After putting their bags on their newly claimed beds, the boys and girls divided jobs among themselves. Harry and Ron were tasked with bringing water from a tap they found on their site map. Passing through the campsite, the duo met quite a few of their friends and classmates. Harry also received quite a bit of female attention. Many girls passed him smiles, along with the occasional seductive wave. Though he could see Ron getting jealous, Harry was enjoying the attention because it was due to his own qualities and not because he was the Boy-Who-Lived. Dropping off the water-buckets at the tent, Harry immediately set out to explore the place. Finding the vendor stalls, he bought some Quidditch jerseys, Firebolt –shaped hairpins, and omniculars. Suddenly, he noticed a blonde and blue-eyed girl about eight years old standing there, looking around with wide eyes.

"Hello, little princess." Harry said. "Are you lost?"

The girl shook her head. Harry gave her a smile, and then asked. "Which team are you supporting?"

The girl blushed before mumbling _'Ireland.'_

Harry immediately bought a Fire-bolt shaped hairpin in Irish colors from the stall. Then he crouched beside her and, putting the hairpin in her hair, said. "A cute little hairpin for a cute little princess."

The girl giggled at his antics.

"_Gabrielle, come on. We have to go. Maman and Papa are waiting for us." _A musical voice called out in French. Immediately, all the nearby men went slack-jawed. Confused, Harry looked in the direction of the voice to see an older version of the little girl coming towards them. She appeared to be 16 or 17, and was the epitome of grace, beauty and elegance. Looking at her, Harry felt a spontaneous urge to touch her soft, cherry red lips. Appalled at the sudden thoughts, Harry shook his head before straightening up. The little girl, whose name apparently was Gabrielle, looked excited.

"_Look Fleur! This handsome boy gave me a hairpin." _ She said in fluent French. Harry blushed at the compliment , having learnt elementary French in primary school before going to Hogwarts- where he had further refined his linguistics in his free time with Hermione's help.

"Did you give my seester 'zis 'airpin, Monsieur? The girl named Fleur asked him in heavy accented English.

"_I can speak French, Mademoiselle."_ Harry began in French. _"And yes, I gave the hairpin as a gift to this cute little princess. I don't have any siblings, and thus have a thing for little children. Their innocence makes me believe that there is still hope for the world."_

Fleur's eyes widened, before confusion took hold of her flawless features. She looked at the drooling men around her, and then at the still unaffected boy standing in front of her. _"Could you please tell me how you are resisting it, Monsieur?"_ She asked.

"_Just Harry, please."_ He said. _"And I don't know what you are talking about."_

Fleur motioned to the men around them. _"All of them are like this, Harry, except you." _Then she added._ "Call me Fleur, please." _

Harry looked at the men with obvious disgust. _"I have no idea why they are acting like this. You are a very beautiful girl, Fleur, no offence; but that doesn't give anyone a reason to stare. It's rude to do so."_

"_So Harry, where will you be sitting during the match?" _Fleur asked.

"_In the top box." _Harry replied_."The father of one of my best friends heads a department in our Ministry, and he was able to get us tickets."_

"_That's great!" _Fleur responded enthusiastically_. "We will be there too. I would really like to meet you again, Harry."_

There you go. Now I'm on a tight schedule due to my studies, so I might be unable to post as frequently as I had originally intended. Sorry for that. AlwaysUnderEstimated. 


	3. Chapter 3: The Final Match

**So, first of all I would like to apologise for the excessive delay in posting this chapter. As it happens, I got stuck in my exams; and after that a bunch of connectivity problems caught up with my PC, so as much as I wanted, I was virtually helpless to do anything about it. But I see people have been busy in the meantime. I seriously couldn't believe it when I saw the number of people who have added this story to their favourite list and/or followed it even though there were naught but a couple of chapters posted. Thanks folks, and I mean it. So as a result, I've decided to give you folks a double treat—a double chapter update. Hope it makes up for the delay.**

**Anyway, let's keep my ranting to a minimum-lest it should spoil the mood. So without further ado; tuck in.**

_**AlwaysUnderEstimated.**_

**Chapter 3**

**The Finale.**

Harry went back to the tent and gave every one the goodies he had bought them. All of his friends got omniculars, while the boys also got Quidditch jerseys- Bulgarian for Ron and Irish for the twins. Hermione and Ginny, on the other hand, got Firebolt-shaped hairpins with a sly offer of help in putting them on. Both the blushing girls declined Harry's offer with a shake of their heads, but not without a kiss each on his cheeks. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see Ron getting green with jealousy and envy. The last of the Potters was tired of his supposedly best friend's attitude, but decided to give his first friend another chance or two to sort himself out. Changing into a green shirt and black jeans, he pulled on a black leather jacket and laced up his trainers. Then he tucked his wand into the dragon hide holster that Sirius had sent him at the beginning of the summer; before strapping it onto his right forearm under his sleeve. Seeing how keen trouble seemed to be to find him, he had stored his broomstick and invisibility cloak in an undetectably extended pouch and tied it around his holster. Should trouble find him as usual, he wanted to be as ready as he could be to take it heads on. After prepping up, they followed up a myriad of stairs to the top box after a momentary distraction by the albino snake known as Draco "Daddy's Boy" Malfoy. Being a VIP enclosure, the box was filled with various dignitaries- both British and foreign. There was no one there whom Harry recognised, until Albus Dumbledore trotted into the box wearing robes of the most absurd shade of purple with a shooting star emblem and with Fawkes perched atop his shoulder. The thing that stood out the most, however (and that is saying a lot), was a rugged old wizard's hat clutched in the warlock's hand.

"Hello, all of you." Dumbledore said jovially. "I trust you all are looking forward to a jolly good show of Quidditch."

"Hello Professor. Yes we are." Harry replied. "Is it just me, or is that really the sorting hat in your hand?"

The hat replied: "I was wondering when I would get the chance to meet you again. After all, it has been almost a year since we last met. Do come see me after the match. I have something to discuss with you."

Meanwhile, Fawkes had hopped onto Harry's shoulder and was looking at him as if trying to ascertain his condition. "I'm fine Fawkes." Harry said. Then Fawkes touched his arm with his beak, indicating to the spot where the basilisk had bitten him in second year. Raising an eyebrow, the teen responded: "Yeah, it was healed alright. Thanks for it, by the way." The immortal chicken waved his wing as if to say 'don't mention'.

"My, my, Harry. Looks like Fawkes has chosen his next caretaker. I have compiled a nice little manual on phoenix care, a copy of which I shall be happy to lend you." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Rule number 1: he likes to be petted."

The emerald eyed hero groaned, _"I'll be lucky if Hedwig doesn't kill me for this."_, but started petting the phoenix anyway. Just at the moment, Cornelius Fudge- the British Minister of Magic- entered the box accompanied by a few people. A squeal of his name was all the warning Harry got before a small silvery missile shot at him. He hugged Gabrielle back. "Hello princess. It's nice to see you again." All of his friends were shocked by his fluency in the language of love. Next, he got hugged by Fleur, who gave him a peck on his cheek at which he blushed severely. Then Minister Fudge approached him, along with a man in his early forties and an ethereal beauty who could only be Fleur and Gabrielle's mother. Fudge was ecstatic on seeing him.

"Ah, Harry my boy! How are you? How was your summer? No problems, were there? I hope you are enjoying yourself." He said. "It will be a nice night and a good match, I hope."

Harry was inwardly burning with rage, which showed momentarily on his face. However, he immediately schooled his features and replied in a professional monotone. "It was my best summer so far, Minister. And yes, I am looking forward to the match."

Fudge, oblivious to Harry's underlying emotions, patted his shoulder and moved ahead to talk with the Bulgarian Minister. As Fudge departed, Harry started shaking with anger; his eyes burning like twin pits of emerald fire. Fawkes thrilled a comforting tone, which calmed him down a little. _'Of all the nerve' _he thought angrily.

"_I take that you two are not on the best of terms." _Fleur said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"_It's a long story. Don't let it bother you." _Harry replied.

The middle aged man, who Harry assumed was Fleur's father, said: _"I'm quite impressed by the way you handled yourself there." _He extended a hand to Harry_. "Jacques Delacour, Head of Bureau of Foreign Affairs, French Ministry of Magic."_

Harry shook his hand respectfully. "Harry Potter."

Fleur levelled him with a glare, before her face morphed into an expression of hurt. _"You didn't tell me you were Harry Potter."_ She said.

"_You never asked my full name." _Harry countered. _"I don't usually tell anyone my full name unless they ask for it, or fully introduce them selves. I hate it when people treat me differently because of something my mother did and which I don't even remember except for her last words."_

Fleur nodded understandingly. _"I get the same reaction because of being a half-veela. I guess I can relate."_

"_Ahem."_ Fleur's mother made a coughing sound, then stepped forward and extended her right hand. _"Apolline Delacour. I've been waiting all day to meet the amazing young man who has made my daughter act like a giggly teenager."_

Both teens blushed and Fleur replied with an indignant "_Maman!". _Harry_, _however, grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. _"__Enchantée__, Madame Delacour."_

"_Just call me Apolline, please. I never heard that you had a phoenix too. It appears that you are quite secretive about your life." _She noted.

"_Umm, well I am a private person, really; but the phoenix isn't mine. His name is Fawkes, and he is Professor Dumbledore's familiar." _ Harry explained. _"He is a good friend of mine, and has saved my life once."_

Then they settled into their seats; Fleur sitting next to Harry and her family next to her. Then the teams came out on the pitch accompanied by their mascots. The Irish mascots were leprechauns, who flew around the stands throwing gold everywhere. After them, a group of women resembling the Delacour women in their appearance stepped onto the pitch in the most revealing clothing that could possibly be worn in public. Immediately, Fleur and Apolline tensed; while most of the males set their eyes on the visual feast below. Suddenly music filled the air, and the Bulgarian mascot started a sensual dance. Seeing this, the male part of the crowd went berserk. Even in the top box, Harry and Jacques were the only ones who had their wits about them. All of the rest were openly drooling; while a few-including Ron- were holding the railing. Fleur and her mother were holding their wands so tightly that their knuckles were white. Mr. Delacour had placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. Seeing this, Harry copied his action with Fleur; who looked at him in surprise. On the other hand, Hermione was looking at the dancers with obvious disgust, while Ginny was busy capturing photos of her family members to use as blackmail material. Harry squeezed Fleur's shoulder, then got up and walked towards the railing. Fleur got sad, thinking that he, too, was overcome by the hypnotic affect of the dancers.

Harry, however, walked up to Ron and started shaking him. "Ronald Bilius Weasley! Stop drooling like an idiot and return to your seat." Hermione nodded at him, while Fleur beamed with pride on having such a string-willed friend. Ron, meanwhile, didn't seem to be in a hurry to come back to reality. Harry looked sideways to see Hermione approaching him.

"Harry, how are you resisting the allure?" She asked.

Harry gave her a blank look. "The _what_?"

Hermione shook her head in amusement. _Typical Harry_, she thought before entering into her lecture mode. "The allure, Harry, is a type of magical field created by veela that induces males to become enamoured with them. It's virtually impossible to resist it- or so it's said in _A Treatise on Exquisite Magical Races._"

"I take that these dancers are veela, then." Harry said. Upon the confirmatory nods of Hermione and the Delacours, he continued. "I don't know anything about an allure, but when I first met Fleur, I felt an unexplainable urge to, err, kiss her." He blushed. "But after that, I haven't felt the pull like that again."

Apolline looked towards Hermione, who was nodding understandingly. "Could you explain?"

"_It's a Harry Potter thing." _She replied in French as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Since her family often vacationed in France, Harry wasn't surprised on her fluency of French language.

"_A Harry Potter thing." _Jacques repeated. _"What's that supposed to mean?"_

Hermione waved her hand. _"It refers to his deeds that mostly have very little, if any, documented precedents. We use the phrase to classify his more unusual acts such as burning down our Voldemort-possessed Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher with his bare hands in first year, slaying a thousand year old basilisk with a sword in second year while saving Ginny. The latest addition is driving off a hundred dementors with a corporeal patronus a few weeks ago."_

"_You can cast a corporeal patronus?" _Jacques asked Harry in surprise.

"_Err, yes. Our Defence teacher taught me to. It's a stag." _Harry replied, feeling a bit uneasy.

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As the veela stopped dancing, everyone returned to their seats and the referee was signalled to begin the match. It was undoubtedly the best show of Quidditch that Harry had ever seen. The Irish chasers had completely dominated the match throughout. Harry, however, was more focused on the seekers' duel. The Bulgarian seeker, a teenager named Victor Krum, had obviously earned his reputation of being the world's best seeker. Recognising the rare chance, Harry recorded many of his moves in his omniculars with the mind of using them in the Inter-House Quidditch Cup. The match ended when Krum caught the snitch making the score 170-160, with Ireland taking the cup home. As they exited the box, Fleur and Harry bade their farewells with promises of exchanging letters. Then he followed Dumbledore to a secluded spot in the campsite; where the Sorting Hat revealed to Harry that he was the heir to Godric Gryffindor, and had been chosen by his sword-_Twilight_-as it's rightful owner and wielder. As such, he was supposed to keep the sword with him. The Hat also revealed that Harry could summon the sword to him just by calling out its name. Nodding, he held up his hand and called out:"Twilight". A bright light flashed, and the sword appeared in the wizard's hand. A beautiful scabbard also appeared around his shoulder. The Hat explained that the sword was goblin-made, and therefore absorbed anything that could make it stronger- including basilisk venom. So the Hat advised Harry to be careful while handling it so as to keep the sword from nicking anyone lest they should die. Harry nodded, and then sheathed the sword; upon which the scabbard turned invisible. He learnt that it would stay out of sight unless he wanted it to be visible. Thanking the Headmaster, Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, Harry retired to his bed in the tent and went to sleep.

**The next chapter will be up momentarily. Stay tuned.**

_**AlwaysUnderEstimated.**_


	4. Chapter 4: The Aftermath

**Here comes the other one. Enjoy while you can.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the original characters or plots.**

**Chapter 4**

**Aftermath.**

It had only bee a couple of hours since the match had ended. Harry and Hermione were fast asleep in their respective bunks and the Weasley boys were being blackmailed by Ginny using the photos she had snapped during the match; while Mr. Weasley was sitting in a chair near the entrance of the tent. Suddenly, Harry's eyes flew open; his danger- alarm going on high alert as his instincts told him to get ready. Being used to relying on his instincts, he jumped off his bed and got dressed, then secured his holster and sword to his body. Everyone was shocked to see him up and alert as he walked into the living room area of the tent.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Something's not right here. My instincts are warning me of danger. Pack up, arm yourselves and get home as soon as possible." Harry replied.

Mr. Weasley looked confused, but the twins and Ron urged him to do as told. Bill and Charlie, having seen similar expressions on their experienced comrades' faces just before shit hit the fan, also took up their wands. Ginny went to rouse Hermione, while the twins and Percy gathered everyone's luggage. They were almost finished when their activities were interrupted by loud screams and cries of pain coming from the campsite. Mr. Weasley ducked out of the tent to see what was causing the ruckus. He came back a moment later, looking as pale as Sir Nicholas on his death-day party.

"What happened, Dad?" Percy asked.

"Looks like Harry's right." The Weasley patriarch replied. "There seems to be an attack on the campsite. Now listen to me; this is what we're going to do: Ron, harry and Hermione; you three run to the woods and stay with each other. Fred, George, follow them. Ginny is your responsibility. Do you understand?" On the teens' nods, he turned to his adult children. "Bill. Charlie and Percy, come with me. Let's see if the aurors need any help."

Harry and his best friends ran towards the woods, closely followed by the twins and Ginny. Suddenly, they saw flashes of spells heading their way. They ducked and rolled to their left. Swiftly getting to his feet, Harry cast a couple of _Reducto_'s in the direction of the spells' origin and started running ahead with his friends. In a few minutes, they reached a place where there was a clearing a little towards their left and trees everywhere else. Harry skidded to a halt as he saw a group of maniacally laughing people clad in black robes and silver masks in the clearing. They were levitating a couple of people who, by the pitch of their screams, seemed to be female.

"That's the Death Eaters' uniform." Ron muttered. On Harry's blank look, he elaborated. "They were the followers of You-Know-Who when he first rose to power. I say we get the hell out of here."

Looking into the clearing, Harry made an impromptu decision. "Ron, 'Mione; you two go ahead and stay out of sight. And don't let go of each other—even if you have to use a sticking charm to accomplish that. Stay safe. I'll see you later."

Hermione whirled around and fixed him with a glare. "What do you think you're doing, Harry James Potter? If you think I'm letting you go into a fight alone, you've got yourself another thought coming. Last year I swore to myself that I wouldn't let you barge headfirst into mortal peril alone. If you're going, I'm going with you." She then turned to Ron. "Ron, you go find an adult and bring them here. I'm quite sure we'll need help. And don't try to argue with me, because frankly we don't have the time. Harry is the most powerful of us, and I know the most spells. Now go on and hurry."

Ron nodded hesitatingly. "Alright, but remember. If either of you doesn't make it, I'm gonna turn into a necromancer to bring you back just so I can kill you myself." He said before running off.

Harry and Hermione slowly moved towards the clearing. At the edge, harry took out his invisibility cloak and threw it over the two of them before casting a silencing charm on their feet. Stealthily, they made their way forward. Nearing the assembly of Death Eaters, they saw two girls lying on the ground with the Death Eaters surrounding them. On closer inspection, Harry saw that the girls were Fleur and Gabrielle—the former of whom was clutching the younger girl and pleading their captors to leave them alone. The Death Eaters, completely disregarding her pleas, were pointing and laughing at them. Seeing this, Harry's temper reached unprecedented levels. Normally, he would've had a burst of accidental magic by now, but today his power was channelling into his wand, making it throb with barely held power. He told Hermione to approach the girls as soon as the Death Eaters were distracted. Not giving her a chance to reply, he slipped out from under the cloak and went a few paces to his left in order to secure Hermione from any spells heading his way. Then he made a bee-line towards the nearest Death Eater and, from behind his back, cast a _Reducto_ at the black-clad figure in front of him followed up by a cutting curse at his right and then, just as his makeshift cover began to turn towards him with a curse on his lips, he pulled Twilight out of its sheath and used its trajectory to cut the thug's arm. Leaving the basilisk venom to work its magic on the writhing Death Eater, he turned his attention to the Death Eaters who had been standing on the Delacour girls' other side until then and had began casting spells at him. He dodged the first few spells before throwing up a Protego. Giving his opponents the chance to get closer to him, he waited for a few more seconds before slowly inching backwards—guiding the Death Eaters away from Fleur and Gabrielle. Seeing the chance, Hermione approached the girls with her head out of the invisibility cloak. Catching their attention, she fully took off the cloak before their adrenaline charged bodies would react by screaming at the top of their lungs. She then crouched next to the French girls and, after a few words of encouragement and an assurance that everything would be alright, threw the cloak over the sisters and urged them to run to the woods as fast as possible. Now free from the rescue mission, Hermione focused back onto Harry to see that he had taken down another Death Eater and was engaging the remaining two—both of whom were fighting viciously. Harry had dropped his shield some time ago when he saw that most of the spells being cast by the Death Eaters weren't being hindered by his shield at all, forcing him to dodge. Unbeknownst to him, his luck was holding out against the red and green bolts; which were in fact Cruciatus and killing curses. A spell from one of the Death Eaters bounced off Twilight and hit the other one square in the face, causing his mask to disintegrate.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Lucius Malfoy. I certainly didn't expect to meet you here." Harry said.

"It seems like you've discovered my true allegiance." Lucius said. "Too bad no one's going to listen to you. I am, after all, a respected pureblood citizen. That is, if you get out of here alive. Certainly the Boy-Who-Lived being killed by a rogue Death Eater seeking to avenge his master would be considered more plausible than me, Lucius Malfoy, killing you." He smirked as he cast a volley of cutting curses at Harry. "On second thought, someone considering you an attacker and raining you down with cutting curses would be more plausible in lieu of this chaos. Say your farewells, _Boy-Who-Lived-Until-Now_." Harry dodged and shielded most of the curses, but a few still caught him on his left calf and right shoulder blade.

Deciding it was now or never, Hermione levitated a huge boulder and guided it towards the still masked Death Eater. Right above his head, she cancelled her spell, causing the boulder to drop onto its unsuspecting victim with a sickening "crunch". Forcing the bile down her throat, she watched in horror as Malfoy levelled his wand at Harry before yelling "**AVADA KEDAVARA"**. The resulting bolts of green light flew towards Harry, who dodged three of them as Fawkes flashed in to take one to his chest before promptly turning to ash. Harry jumped up to avoid a couple of them targeted towards his legs. However, doing so he; completely missed the one that hit him square in the chest. Hermione screamed in rage before casting a _Lacero _at Malfoy, who whirled around just as the curse hit him in the chest, cutting him vertically into two. Then she fell down to the ground beside Harry and pulled his body to her. He was her first friend, the best friend she could ever hope for, the boy she had so hopelessly fallen in love with and with whom she had so foolishly dreamt of spending the rest of her life. Sobbing uncontrollably, she shook Harry, screaming at him to open his eyes, to say something; but he was gone. Forever. Her mind absently registered someone sitting beside her, but she could focus on nary a thing but her love's corpse.

Fleur was running towards the woods with her sister as fast as they could under the invisibility cloak. She was really thankful to Harry and Hermione for saving her and Gabrielle. She had felt so helpless lying there, knowing there was no way she could save herself and her sister from the horrible fate that awaited them. Then she saw Harry attack the dark-clad figures with a prowess and power she had never seen before. No matter how much he refuted it, Harry Potter was one exceptionally powerful wizard. Her musings were suddenly interrupted by a loud crunch. Both sisters came to an abrupt halt and turned back in time to see Harry get hit by the Killing Curse and then Hermione's retaliation. Fleur's breath hitched in her throat as she saw her saviour's dead body, which was being cradled by a sobbing Hermione. She rushed to her side and knelt down, grabbing Harry's hands as tears started streaming down her face. She was holding herself responsible for the young man's untimely demise. Had he not barged in to save them, he would still have been alive.

**And there you go. I'll try to post at least twice a week from now on that my workload has decreased significantly. But I won't be making any commitments I can't keep. Anyway, see you.**

_**Always Under Estimated.**_


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